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Henry H. Shelton, General, US Army (Ret.)
Director
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Henry H. Shelton currently
serves as a member of Robbins-Gioia’s board of advisors. A highly decorated military
veteran, General Shelton spent 38 years in a variety of command and staff positions in
the continental United States, Hawaii, and Vietnam. He is president of International
Operations for M.I.C. Industries, Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors for
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.; Anteon International Corporation; Red Hat; and, Professional
Project Services, Inc., and is also a consultant and member of the advisory boards of
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc. and a Senior Leadership Fellow at North
Carolina State University.
Born in Tarboro, North Carolina, General Shelton received a bachelor's degree in textiles
from North Carolina State University and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the
Infantry through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He served two combat tours in Vietnam,
the first with the 5th Special Forces Group and the second with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Selected for promotion to brigadier general in 1988, General Shelton served in the Operations
Directorate of the Joint Staff, and then as Assistant Division Commander for Operations of the
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), where he participated in the liberation of Kuwait during
Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM. After the Gulf War, General Shelton was promoted to major general
and assumed command of the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 1993 he was
promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of the XVIII Airborne Corps. In 1994 during
his tenure as Corps commander, General Shelton led the United States Joint Task Force that
restored democracy in Haiti. In March 1996 he was promoted to general and became Commander in
Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
General Shelton became the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 1997, and served
two two-year terms, retiring on September 30, 2001. Throughout his tenure as chairman, U.S. forces
were in heavy demand and participated in numerous joint operations around the globe. General
Shelton also worked tirelessly on behalf of service members, their families, and military retirees
by championing a number of landmark quality of life initiatives, including the largest military pay
raise in 18 years, pay table and bonus reform, and critical improvements in both retirement and
healthcare programs. He made great strides in improving the readiness and retention of the current
force while simultaneously crafting Joint Vision 2020—the roadmap for the Future Joint Force.
General Shelton established Joint Forces Command to consolidate joint experimentation efforts and
guide the transformation of the U.S. Armed Forces for the 21st Century.
General Shelton holds a master's degree from Auburn University, and has attended Harvard University,
the Air Command and Staff College, and the National War College. He has been decorated for distinguished
service by numerous military and civilian organizations in the United States and overseas.
Among his many military awards, General Shelton has received four Defense Distinguished Service Medals,
two Army Distinguished Service Medals, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, and the
Purple Heart. He has been decorated by 16 foreign governments. In 2001, he was knighted by Queen
Elizabeth II. Highlights of his civilian awards include the Charlotte (NC) World Affairs Council World
Citizen Award for 2002, North Carolina's highest Award for Public Service, the Eisenhower Award from the
Business Executives for National Security, the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award,
Intrepid Freedom Award, and recognition as National Father of the Year, among others.
For his exemplary service to his country, the 107th Congress bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal on
General Shelton on September 19, 2002.
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